More than half of the urban local bodies in Andhra Pradesh have been facing water scarcity during the ongoing summer, and at least seven municipalities are facing an acute shortage.
Drinking water is being supplied once in three days in Kadpaa, Palamaner, Penugonda, Podili, Hindupur, Ongole and Pedana, and that such a situation arose in March itself indicates the severity of the problem.
At a review meeting on water scarcity and implementation of contingency plans in the State, chaired by Chief Secretary K.S. Jawahar Reddy, Lathkar Shrikesh Balajirao, Commissioner & Director, Municipal Administration (CDMA), said, “There will be no water problem for 60 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in the summer, while available reserves will last till April 15 for two ULBs, up to April 30 for 16 ULBs, up to May 31 for 25 ULBs, and up to June 30 for 20 ULBs.”
Supply through tankers
Out of the 123 Urban Local Bodies, the government is able to supply drinking water twice a day in 29 ULBs, once a day in 52, once in a couple of days in 35, and once in three days in seven. The ULBs have been supplying drinking water through tankers wherever necessary in the municipalities and corporations, he added.
Shashibhushan Kumar, Principal Secretary, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, said that Collectors of 17 districts informed about water problems in their recent reports while there was no serious problem in the remaining nine districts.
The Collectors have proposed to supply drinking water through tankers to the residents in 388 drought mandals and 492 other mandals. The process will start soon in 109 mandals out of them.
Mr. Jawahar Reddy instructed the officials concerned to ensure that every hamlet, village and ULB gets sufficient drinking water. He instructed the officials to create awareness among the public on judicious use of water.
The ULBs getting drinking water once in a couple of days are Adoni, Bapatla, Bethamcharla, Bobbili, Budwel, Chilakaluripet, Chittoor, Darsi, Dharmavaram, Dhone, Giddalur, Gooty, Gudur (Kurnool), Guntakal, Kadiri, Kamalapuram, Kuppam, Macherla, Machilipatnam, Madanapalle, Markapur, Nandigama, Nandyal, Nuzvid, Palasa-Kasibugga, Punganur, Puttur, Rayachoti, Rayadurg, Sattenapalli, Tadipatri, Tirupati, Tiruvuru, Vizianagaram and Yerranguntla.
